The Adventures of Brianna Baggins
by jabberwocky1996
Summary: Brianna Baggins is just like any regular hobbit. Or so she thinks. But her life takes an unexpected turn when she accompanies a band of dwarves led by Traude Oakenshield and the wizard Gillian in order to take back the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. A genderbend of The Hobbit.


The rain poured fiercely on the tiny town of Bree and since it was night the sky was almost jet black. People rushed inside to get out of the rain though most were already soaking wet. Most of town, however, was at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. Undoubtedly the town's most popular spot they served some of the best ale in the area and were almost always crowded, especially on rainy nights like this. People were either crowded around the bar laughing and talking of many things or doing the same at tables.

Into this inn walked in a mysterious figure. The figure was relatively short and wore a dark brown coat and hood. The coat extended all the way down to their feet and the bottom of the coat was covered in mud and water and dirt. The figure quietly walked in, rubbed their feet on the door mat and looked for a table. The figure finally saw an table that was nearby the bar and no one seemed interested in taking it.

As they were just about to hang up their coat, a fat man walked up to the figure. He had dark hair and a beard and was currently munching on a carrot and he was soaking wet from outside.

"Hey, stranger." he said "What's your business here?"

The figure then finally let down their hood and revealed themselves to be a woman. She had a very earth-like beauty to her and had brown hair and eyes. Her face was round and smooth. She wore a grey-ish blue dress with black stripes.

She was Traude Oakenshield, daughter of Thráin, son of Thrór, of the house of Erebor.

She wore a stern expression on her face and looked the carrot man dead in the eyes.

"That is none of your concern, my good man." she said.

She then raised an eyebrow and stared at him even harder. By now the man was very much freaked out by her cold, hard stare.

"Whatever, mate." he said.

He then walked off towards one of the window tables and Traude sat down at the nearby table. She quietly looked at the various bar patrons who were busy laughing or talking or yelling at one another. She then looked at the table and tapped her fingers. Just then a dark curly-haired woman walked up to Traude who in turn looked at her.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"Oh…um…just a cup of ale please and some hash browns." Traude replied.

"Alright, ma'am." the waitress said before walking off.

Traude then resumed looking at the bar patrons. They acted pretty much the same. Everyone except three men nearby a window to her right a few feet away. The one on the right had brown hair and eyes and a large beard. The one on the left had a clean-shaven face but very stern eyes. The one in the middle had long hair and a short beard and had blue eyes. They had been eyeing Traude ever since she'd entered the inn.

After noticing them, Traude stared back at them. The three men never moved or looked away but kept staring right at her.

"You wanna see my lease?" she asked.

The man in the middle got up and then began making his way towards Traude very slowly. Traude then noticed a knife slowly slither down the man's shirt into his hand. Knowing exactly what was about to happen, Traude carefully reached for her own knife on her left side, ready for anything.

And then moments before the man could reach her, an elderly woman sat herself right next to Traude.

"Mind if I join you?" the woman asked.

Traude nodded and then she turned her attention back to the man who backed off and returned to his table and two comrades. Traude then turned her attention back to the elderly woman who sat across from her. She had brown, bushy hair and wore a dark robe. She had brown eyes like Traude's and she carried with her a rather large sunhat that was colored grey.

Just then the waitress came with Traude's order and placed it before her.

"Here ye are, ma'am." she said turning to the elderly woman "And you?"

"I'll have what she's having." she said.

The waitress nodded and walked off and the elderly woman turned her attention back to Traude. Traude raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you, exactly, if I may ask?" she asked.

The elderly woman sighed and chuckled. "Forgive me, I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Gillian. Gillian the Grey."

"Unusual name." Traude said.

"Well, yes." Gillian said.

Traude quietly ate her food and there was a minute or two of silence. During which the three thugs got out of their corner of the bar and proceeded to walk out of the bar without even looking at Traude as they passed by her and Gillian. After making sure they were gone, Gillian then turned her attention back to Traude.

"What is a woman like Traude Oakenshield doing in Bree?" she asked.

Traude took a sip of ale and then cleared her throat.

"I had heard news of my father running wild around these parts." she said "I've been looking for almost two days. I've found no sign of him."

"I'm sorry." Gillian said.

"No, it's okay." Traude said.

The waitress then came back and gave Gillian her hash-browns and ale.

"Thank you." Gillian said.

"Just let me know if you need anything else." the waitress said before walking off.

As Gillian took a bite of her food, Traude took a sip of her ale and then looked very coldly at Gillian.

"This is no chance meeting..is it, miss Gillian?" she asked.

Gillian sighed and looked at Traude.

"No it's not." she said "The Lonely Mountain troubles me deeply. That dragon has set there long enough. You know of whom I speak of."

"Smaug, yes." Traude said.

"But that's not the only problem. Sooner or later, darker minds may wish to lay claim to your mountain." Gillian said sternly.

"Darker minds then Smaug?" Traude chuckled softly "I doubt that."

Gillian sighed "I'd have a feeling you'd say that. I ran into some…how shall we say…unsavory characters on the way over here who mistook me for a vagabond."

Traude chuckled. "I imagine they regretted that."

"Yes, indeed." Gillian said "But more importantly, one of them was carrying this."

She then reached into her dress pocket and unfolded a piece of torn paper and moved it towards Traude. It had writing on it Traude did not recognize.

"What does it say?" Traude asked.

"It is black speech." Gillian said "Promising a large reward."

Traude suddenly began to grow very concerned. From what this woman was saying, it seemed eerily truthful.

"For what?" Traude finally asked.

"Your head." Gillian said coldly.

Traude gulped and took a sip of her ale in an attempt to calm herself. She then put the cup down and rubbed her forehead.

"I take it those three men who left earlier heard of this payment?" she asked.

"Most likely." Gillian responded "Someone wants you dead. Now listen to me Traude, you can't wait anymore. You are the heir to the throne of Durin and of the house of Erebor. You must unite the armies of the dwarves. Together, you all can take back the mountain."

"It's not as easy as that sounds." Traude said.

"I'm aware of that." Gillian said "Summon a meeting of the seven dwarf families. Remind them that they stand by oath."

"Have you forgotten, wizard?!" Traude said harshly "They are very stubborn, especially that Deborah Ironfoot. If I could get them together, they'll only listen to the one who wields the Arkenstone and as I'm sure you are aware it was stolen by that filthy serpent Smaug!"

Gillian sighed and took a sip of her own ale. Wiping the ale from her lips she put her elbow and the table and tapped her fingers.

"What if I were to help you reclaim it?" she asked.

Traude looked at Gillian with a questioning look. Gillian raised her eyes and gave her a look that means I'm serious.

"Okay…suppose you can do this" Traude said "And we can get enough dwarves to call this a quest. The Arkenstone lies half a world away. And we have to no way to get it."

"Yes, I know." Gillian said "Which is why we're going to need a burglar."

Traude smirked and took another bite of her hash-browns. She swallowed her food and wiped her mouth.

"What kind of burglar?" she asked.

/

The bright sun shone through the window of the hobbit hole. This wasn't like an ordinary hole which is dirty and filled with worms and bugs and all manner of filth. This was a hobbit hole. And that means comfort.

Brianna Baggins got up out of bed and yawned as she shook her head to wake herself up. She was quite normal for a hobbit woman. She had bright eyes and a very fair faces. She had long flowing dark hair and was currently wearing a white nightgown. She then got up out of bed and proceeded to walk into her bathroom which was nearby.

After taking a short shower she dried herself off and put on a gorgeous blue and white dress and proceeded to tuck her hair into a bun. And then after preparing her breakfast (two waffles smothered in syrup), she then went outside to get some fresh air. She sat on her red-painted bench nearby the fence and began eating her breakfast. On this day, the idea of adventures and quests could never have been further from Brianna's mind.

Just as she finished her breakfast, she heard footsteps coming towards her from her left. She put the plate and fork down and then looked to her left and there standing just a few feet away was Gillian, wearing the grey sunhat from the meeting in Bree a week earlier and also holding a tall wooden staff in her right hand.

Brianna didn't quite know what to make of this. She'd never seen someone like this before, especially not in the Shire. After a few seconds she cleared her throat.

"Good morning." she said.

"What do you mean, my dear woman?" Gillian asked "Do you mean to wish me a good morning or do you mean to say that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating this is a morning to be good on?"

Brianna blinked in surprise and did some eye searching and she pondered what to say in response.

"Well..um..all of them at once I suppose." she said.

There was an awkward silence as Brianna and Gillian quietly exchanged looks and Gillian smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you, stranger?" Brianna asked.

"That remains to be seen." Gillian said "Well, let's get down to brass tax. I'm looking for someone like yourself to share an adventure."

Brianna laughed at that and brushed back a piece of loose hair as she laughed. Gillian looked surprised by this.

"An adventure?" Brianna chuckled "Listen, stranger, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in an adventure of all things!" she continued as she went to her mailbox to check her mail "Nasty, disturbing and above all else uncomfortable things. They make you late for dinner and your dresses get all filthy and ruined."

Brianna went through her mail hoping Gillian would leave. She glanced at Gillian who still stood there and was starting to tap her feet. Brianna mumbled to herself and was starting to become greatly annoyed. She preferred to know who exactly was visiting her before they visited. At last and just simply put the mail under her am and went and picked up her plate and looked again at Gillian.

"Good morning." she said annoyed before turning to go inside.

"Do think I should live to be good morninged by Belladonna Took's daughter as if I was selling buttons at the door!" Gillian barked.

Brianna stopped dead in her tracks only three steps up the steps leading to her door and turned to look at the Gillian.

"I beg your pardon, madam?" Brianna asked.

"You've changed and not entirely for the better miss Brianna Baggins." Gillian replied.

Brianna was flabbergasted. This stranger somehow not only knew her name but her mothers as well. She began to wonder what else this stranger knew.

"I don't believe we've met, ma'am." she said "May I please ask what your called miss…whoever you are?"

"Well, Brianna, you know my name" Gillian said "though you don't remember I belong to it. I am Gillian. And Gillian means me."

Suddenly memories from childhood flooded back to Brianna, specifically every mid-summers eve how a tall woman wore the same hat this stranger wore. It then clicked in Brianna's brain.

"Oh my goodness." she said surprised "Not _the_ Gillian! Wandering wizard who made the most excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on mid-summers eve!" she laughed "I had no idea you were still in business!"

"And where else would I be, young one?" Gillian asked.

"I don't know. Doing…wizard-y things." Brianna replied.

"Well I'm pleased to find you remember at least one thing about me." Gillian said "Even if it is only my fireworks." she then clapped her hands together. "Well it's decided then. It will be very good for you and very amusing for me. I shall tell the others."

"Wait, others?!" Brianna gasped "Oh no, no, no, no! I am not taking part in any adventures whatsoever!"

She walked up towards her door before stopping at the door and turning around to look at Gillian.

"I suggest you try across the river or over the hill or, hell, right next door but for heaven's sakes don't get me involved!" she barked "And good morning to you ma'am."

Brianna then walked inside and shut the door.

_Honestly, adventures!_ she thought as she put her mail and her plate on a nearby table _What a silly notion if ever I've heard one._

But then at that moment she could have sworn she heard a faint scratching sound at her door. She slowly turned around and looked at the door. She slowly walked up to the door very quietly and then leaned against it. The sound suddenly stopped. She then backed away slightly, then placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it slowly.

She opened the door only to find that no one was there and then she looked at her door and nothing was there either. She looked around carefully and then proceeded to shut the door slowly.

_It's all in your head._ she thought _It's all in your head._


End file.
